Man diagnosed with rare pneumonic plague in Colorado

DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado man diagnosed with pneumonic
plague, a rare form of the disease that is also the most
life-threatening, is the state's first confirmed human case of
the illness in a decade, officials said on Wednesday.

The man was found to have the disease after the family dog
died unexpectedly, and a necropsy concluded the animal was
afflicted with pneumonic plague, the Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment said in a statement.

The unidentified man and his dog were believed to have
contracted the disease in an eastern Colorado county. There was
no word on the man's condition.

The bacteria that causes plague occurs naturally in the
western United States, particularly in Colorado, New Mexico,
Arizona and California, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.

The plague is transmitted by fleas to rodents, usually
prairie dogs. When an infected animal dies, the disease is
spread when the fleas find another host.

Pneumonic plague is the same bacteria that causes bubonic
plague, but it infects a person's lungs. Symptoms include fever,
headaches, shortness of breath, chest pains and a cough.

It is the most serious form of the disease, Colorado health
officials said, adding that it is the only form of plague that
can be transmitted person-to-person, usually through infectious
droplets from coughing.

Since 1957, 60 human cases of pneumonic plague have been
identified in Colorado, and nine were fatal, the health
department said.

"Although human cases occur infrequently, plague is severe
and potentially life-threatening if not detected and quickly
treated with common antibiotics," the department said.